Sterilizer for toilet seats



\ iMarth 29, 1949. s, KRQNHAUS 2,465,460

STERILIZER FOR TOILET SEATS Filed Oct. 8, 1945 [III/III (I,

' INVENTOR SEMEN KRONHAUS BY M ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 29, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,465,460 I STERILIZER FOR TOILET SEATS Semen Kronhaus, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 8, 1945, Serial No. 620,985

3 Claims.

My present invention has to do with sanitary devices for utilities, such as toilets, having as an object the provision of an attachment for toilets which functions to cleanse the toilet seat when desired.

It is an object to provide in such a device means for disinfecting the seat concurrently with the cleansing operation.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a simple, economical and eflicient device which may be operated to wipe over the exposed surface of a toilet seat.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description wherein I describe what is now a preferred form of the invention, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation with some parts shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4. is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings I show at B a conventional toilet bowl connected by pipe W to a source of flushing water, not shown, it being understood that I do not make any claim to the construction of the toilet bowl or water supply mechanism per se.

The bowl has a swingable seat S hinged thereto by hinges H for upward swinging movement in the customary manner.

Secured to the rear portion of the top flange F of the bowl there is a bracket 5 which projects laterally therefrom and has a transverse hole 6 providing bearing for a rotatable upright rod 8 whose bottom end has bearing in an opening at the top wall of a U-shaped housing Ill, which may be secured in any suitable manner to the floor. The bottom end of the rod carries a pinion bevel gear H which meshes with sector bevel gear l5 secured on the inner end of a shaft l6 jcurnalled in the back wall of the housing. The outer end of the shaft has secured thereto the inner end of a foot lever 20 whose outer end carries a portion 20a for engagement by the foot of the operator. The lever is normally urged upwardly by a coil spring 22 fixed at one end to the lever and at its other end to the top wall of the housing. Thus it will be apparent that as the foot lever is depressed by the foot of the operator, rod 8 is caused to rotate a portion of a revolution in one direction and, upon release of the foot pressure on the lever, the spring causes the rod to be rotated in a reverse direction to 2 return it to starting position contacting'stop member 23.

Fixed to the top end of the rod 8, as by nuts 25, to facilitate removal, there is, an angular arm 21 which carries at its outer end a wiper arm'30.

Within the channel of thearm 30 there is mounted a hollow sac 35 coextensive with the arm and made of soft rubber or other resilient material, whose interior provides a chamber 40 adapted to contain a disinfecting liquid, the sac being fillable through an opening closed by plug 31.

Communicating with chamber 40 at points spaced along one of the side walls of the sac, preferably at its forward side wall in the direction of its movement to be described, there is a plurality of spray jets 42 which pass through corresponding openings in the side wall of the arm 30.

Adhered to the bottom of the sac 35 as by a suitable adhesive, there is a soft flexible pad 45 coextensive with the sac, which is preferably although not necessarily made of sponge rubber and is disposed for wiping engagement with the top surface of the seat S. In the broader aspects of the invention the sac 35 and pad 45 may be considered as one integral element.

The combined thickness of the sac 35 and pad 45 is greater than the distance from the inner top surface of the arm 30 and the top surface of the seat S, so that as the arm 30 is moved over the seat as will be described, the sac is compressed to displace liquid from the chamber 40 and cause it to be sprayed upon the seat in the path of movement of the pad.

In operation, when the foot lever 20 is depressed the wiper arm 30 is caused to swing about a radius having the rod 8 as its axis, the arm being returned in the opposite direction by the spring 22. As the arm 30 thus moves, the pad 45 frictionally engages the seat and depresses the sac to eject liquid from the latter onto the seat, which liquid is spread over the seat by the pad 45.

It will be understood, of course, that the structure which I have described is merely illustrative and that it may be altered within the scope of the appended claims. For instance, while I describe the prime mover as a foot lever, it will be understood that other well-known motivating means may be substituted.

The wiper is shown at 32 in Fig. 1 to rest against building wall 33; however, other methods of placing the wiper out of the way, particularly where space is limited, may be employed.

I claim:

1. In a toilet having a bowl and a seat thereon, a seat cleansing device comprising a wiper arm, means mounting the arm for swinging movement over the seat about a radius having its axis adjacent the outer edge of the seat, means for so movin said arm, a compressible liquid-containing sac carried by and disposed against the undersurface of .the arm, and a spray Jet communicating at its inner .end with 'the'interior of the sac and disposed to spray liquid therefrom onto the seat in the path of movement of the arm, said sac bein compressible to eject liquid through said jet in response to saidmovem'entiof the arm.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for so moving the arm comprises a shaft carrying a bevel gear pinion, a sector bevel gear mounted for oscillatory movement in mesh with the pinion and a foot pedal operatively connected to the rack.

3. In a toilet having a bowl and a seatthereon, a seat cleansing device comprising a wiper arm, means mounting the arm "for swinging movement over the seat about a-radius having its .axis adjacent the outer edge of the seat, means for so moving said arm, :a compressible liquid-containing sac carried by and disposed against the undersurface of the arm, a spray jet communicating at its inner end with the interior of the sec and disposed to spray liquid therefrom onto the seat in the path of movement of the arm, and a resilient wiper pad secured to the bottom of the sac in position to directly engage the seat, said sac and pad having a combined thickness greater than the distance between the undersurface of the arm and the top surface of the seat whereby, in response to movement of the arm over the seat, the sac will be compressed to 'force liquid from the sac onto the seat.

SEMEN KRONHAUS.

REFERENCES CITED The 'following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 58,400 Forney Oct. 2, "1866 1,846,311 Friedrich July 13,1920 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 326,247 Germany Nov. '22, 1918 

